TF01 45

Ying Ming frowned at Shi Yi’s words. “What did you find out this time?”

“There are some things you don’t need to dig for. They’re obvious. But as for the details, let me finish this banquet first. I’ll fill you in after I get back.” Shi Yi smiled, though there wasn’t much warmth in it. His tone wasn’t exactly heavy either. “Once this Weisai business is done, we need to have a proper drink together.”

Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “You still dare to drink?”

That comment stirred up some vague memories in Shi Yi’s mind. He froze for a moment before hesitantly asking, “That night… what exactly happened?”

Ying Ming didn’t respond for a long time.

The silence carried an unsettling undercurrent. Shi Yi waited, but in the end, Ying Ming never gave him an answer.

He only said, half-joking yet deliberately withholding, “Some things are better left unknown.”

Then he hung up.

Shi Yi frowned at his phone, mulling over their conversation. He struggled for a long time, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t recall what had happened that night.

Fuck.

This feeling sucked.

Ying Ming waited for Shi Yi’s call until nearly one in the morning.

Based on the time they had known each other, Shi Yi had a trait that perfectly matched his background. He always followed through. If he said he’d contact Ying Ming, then he definitely would.

Glancing at the clock, Ying Ming absentmindedly cracked open another peanut. “How long is this damn dinner supposed to last…”

Even though he wasn’t there, he could imagine just how miserable this meal must be. The phrase hard to swallow probably wasn’t just a metaphor tonight.

Social gatherings like these were always nauseating.

Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head, feeling a bit sorry for Shi Yi, who was God knows where at this moment. He decided to wait another hour. If there was still no news, he’d just call it a night. Chances were Shi Yi had already drunk himself under the table.

But in the end, he didn’t have to wait that long.

Shi Yi’s call never came. His doorbell rang instead.

As Ying Ming got up to open the door, he already had a hunch. But when he saw who was standing outside, he was still a little surprised. “Why are you here?”

“Just felt like taking a walk.”

Shi Yi yanked at his tie a few times and undid the top button of his shirt. “Fuck. I thought it’d be cool tonight, but after drinking, I’m sweating like hell.”

As he took off his jacket, Ying Ming instinctively caught it and hung it up. Then he turned back to look at him. “Drinking until now?”

“Yeah.”

Shi Yi lazily strolled to the sofa and threw himself onto it with a heavy thud. Letting out a long sigh, he looked completely fed up. “Weisai pulled out all the stops today. A whole table of people, all against me alone.”

As he spoke, he tilted his head to glance at Ying Ming, who was grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Take a guess. How did it go?”

Ying Ming turned back with a smile. “Looking at you, at least you didn’t lose.”

Shi Yi raised an eyebrow and nodded smugly. “A draw.”

He wasn’t wrong when he joked about this being a Hongmen Banquet. The whole meal had been more exhausting than an entire day at the negotiation table. The way Weisai handled things showed just how anxious they were. Their attitude this time was noticeably different from before.

Ying Ming handed him the water and leaned against the sofa. “And what exactly does a draw mean?”

“It means…” Shi Yi took a sip, thought for a moment, then curled his lips. “Everything stays the same. No progress, no setbacks.”

In other words, the status quo remained.

At the dinner table today, Weisai had indeed brought up the issue of the leaked information. Though they hadn’t pointed fingers directly, the implication was crystal clear.

If you thought about it, this whole setup was likely just an attempt to get one thing out of Shi Yi—that he would stop meddling in Ying Ming’s affairs. After all, none of this could be blamed on him. There was still a chance for future collaborations, and it would be easier to maintain appearances.

Shi Yi was parched. Half the bottle was gone in just a few gulps before he let out a sigh. “I don’t think Weisai will let you off so easily this time. It’s no longer about who leaked the information. The bigger issue now is stopping it from spreading any further.”

If there was a first, there would be a second.

Once one person spoke up, it was only a matter of time before others followed.

This kind of thing was a vicious cycle. It would only get worse until everything spiraled beyond control.

Ying Ming frowned. “If you’re going to say it, then say it clearly.”

“I told you before, the people backing Weisai aren’t as simple as they seem. They were among the first to get into the automobile industry. Back then, the ones who could get involved were a certain kind of people. You know what that means.”

There was some history between this company and his family. Whether it was their past collaborations or even sitting down at the negotiation table now, it was all because of that connection.

“So that connection doesn’t work anymore?”

Shi Yi chuckled. “Let me tell you something. Connections like that never actually work.”

He finished the bottle of water and started fiddling with it out of boredom, flipping it back and forth like he was having fun. But the words that came out of his mouth weren’t the least bit lighthearted. “As long as there’s no conflict of interest, everything can be chalked up to personal connections. But the moment real losses come into play, all that talk about relationships is just bullshit. I bet most people can’t even begin to imagine how much Weisai stands to lose this time.”

A company’s reputation is the foundation of its brand.

Once that’s gone, the brand is as good as dead.

Shi Yi glanced at Ying Ming. “Right now, in Weisai’s eyes, you’re no different from a walking target wrapped in cash.”

They had to do something, if only to put their minds at ease.

Out of everyone on that list, there weren’t many more suitable than Ying Ming to be made an example of. Weisai wasn’t just one person; it was a corporation. And as with any corporation, there were hierarchies. The higher-ups wanted accountability, and the ones below had to produce results. Whether the damage could actually be undone was another matter, but someone had to pay the price for closing the book on this.

Ying Ming understood what Shi Yi was getting at. He leaned against the side and frowned slightly. “So you’re saying Weisai wants to use me as a warning to others?”

If they couldn’t track down the real source of the leak, picking a scapegoat was a much easier way to send a message than investigating every lead.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a warning.” Shi Yi shook his head. “They’re not going to go that far, but they’ll definitely make some noise.”

That outcome had been obvious from the start.

The moment the Weisai incident hit the news, both he and Ying Ming had already braced themselves for what was coming.

Still, Shi Yi added, “But you don’t have to worry too much. I’ve already figured out how to handle it.” His expression turned smug, full of confidence. “With me here, you’ll be just fine.”

Ying Ming stood a short distance away, watching him shake the empty bottle. He frowned slightly, almost unconsciously.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Shi Yi, didn’t anyone from Weisai ask you something today?”

Shi Yi raised a brow. “What?”

“This whole mess, why are you even getting yourself involved?”

Rescuing someone without signing a contract, that was easy enough to understand. Given Shi Yi’s personality, he was never the type to be led by the nose or pushed around. His refusal to cooperate had a lot to do with his own principles and character. But now that things had escalated this far, there really wasn’t any reason for him to keep stirring things up.

Ying Ming wasn’t the type to press people for answers. At least, when it came to his friends, he would rather let things slide than push too hard. But tonight, after hearing what Shi Yi said, he felt like there was something stuck in his chest, something he had to get rid of.

Since Shi Yi didn’t answer, he asked again, “Weisai isn’t going to openly fall out with you. Even if you step in, your influence alone isn’t enough to turn things around. Is it really necessary to get your family involved? Have you even thought about whether it’s worth it?”

Shi Yi was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected Ying Ming to ask something like that. His brows knit together slightly as he set down the empty bottle and looked at him.

The silence between them was heavy.

But it carried different weights for each of them.

Ying Ming hadn’t willingly put himself in an uncomfortable position like this in a long time. He found himself inwardly mocking his own sentimentality, but outwardly, he still had that stubborn look, as if he wouldn’t let Shi Yi off without an answer.

After a moment, Shi Yi finally spoke.

“Worth it.”

Ying Ming dropped his gaze and cursed. “Fuck.”

There wasn’t much point in saying anything more after that.

In the vast, empty warehouse, that single word echoed like a deep bass speaker, buzzing in Ying Ming’s ears.

After swearing under his breath, he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he changed the subject, asking if Shi Yi had eaten. The response was blunt. He hadn’t eaten anything, just got forced to down a lot of alcohol. Apparently, they had been hoping to get him drunk enough to loosen up and let them steer the situation however they pleased.

Shi Yi even chuckled as he recalled it. “Too bad those bastards had no clue what my alcohol tolerance is.”

Growing up in an environment where drinking was second nature, handling those guys had been effortless.

Ying Ming offered to make him some noodles to settle his stomach. Shi Yi’s first thought was of that bowl of porridge he had back during the rally race. He followed him to the kitchen, watching as Ying Ming actually started lighting the stove. That took him by surprise. He raised a brow. “You actually know how to cook?”

“I do, but I can’t promise it’ll taste good.”

Tearing open the package, Ying Ming’s movements were practiced enough. As he waited for the water to boil, he glanced at Shi Yi. “You might be the first person to ever eat my cooking.”

Shi Yi was taken aback. “What, have you been serving non-humans before this?”

“Smoke Ring.”

Ying Ming chuckled, the rising steam from the pot enveloping him.

For some reason, Shi Yi found the scene oddly warm.

From the moment he stepped into Ying Ming’s home until now, everything, their conversations and the way things played out, felt so natural, like this was exactly how things were supposed to be.

He tilted his head, leaning against the doorway as he watched Ying Ming cook. Smoke Ring floated between them, drifting around in lazy circles. Neither of them paid it any mind.

Shi Yi suddenly remembered that impulsive remark he made in the car the other day.

Ying Ming, if only you were a woman….